To link to the entire object, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed the entire object, paste this HTML in websiteTo link to this page, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed this page, paste this HTML in website

The QC, Vol. 81, No. 25 • May 4, 1995

1995_05_04_001

WHITTIER
COLLEGE
^^"^^ ^-^ May 4,1995
Quaker Campus
The Voice Of The Campus Since 1914
► SPORTS
The men's lacrosse
team lost in the WCLL
semifinals to UC Santa
Barbara, but managed to
beat Chapman in the consolation game and finish
third in the league.
pg20
C A M.P
»
*■ A Building by
Any Other Name...
Did you ever wonder
why the libraby is named
after a lip gloss? Or is
it?... Find out about the
names behind the buildings you learn in, sleep in,
and walk past every day.
eg 8
► Have an Extra
$15?
We've sampled three
hip albums so you don't
have to gamble with your
savings. Find out if we hit
the jackpot, pg 12
> Miss Your
Science Building
Parking Space?
Duo to wo! e Sci
ence Building's air conditioning system, part ofthe
Science Building parking
lot has been -.sible
since last week. As of press
time, the work was expected to be completed today,
barring complications.
► In last week's "News You
Can Use"; box, the QC ims-
takenly reported that the crane
in the Science Bu i Id i ng parking lot was replacing an air
conditioning unit on top of
the building. The particular
■■■■■
was actually a disfunclional
cooling tower, the component
of the air conditioning system which keeps the chiller
working at an optimum temperature. The QC regrets any
inconvenience this error may
have caused.
Beloved Professor Remembered as Devoted
Community Member, True Philosopher
Dr. Michael Praetorius, professor of philosophy, lived the life he taught.
by JANINE LEIGH KRAMER
QC Editor-in-Chief
"Such was the end of our
friend, whom I may truly call the
wisest, and justest, and best of all
the men whom I have ever
known."
This passage, the last line of
Plato's Phaedo, was read by faculty chair, Michael McBride before the traditional moment of silence at the faculty meeting last
Tuesday in memory of Dr. Mchael
Praetorius, professor of philosophy.
Praetorius died Fri day evening
from complications from a severe
case of pneumonia. An autopsy is
being performed.
This was Praetorius' 25th year
teaching at Whittier College,
where he and his wife, art history
professor Paula Radisich, lived in
Johnson House as part ofthe Faculty Residence program.
"Nothing mattered to him
more than community. The idea
of people with shared values, living and working together. A community of ideas, minds and emotions," said Anne Kiley, professor
of English, who knew Praetorius
pholo courtesy of Office of Admission
Dr. Michael Praetorius
for 23 years through working on
committees and pairing classes
together.
"Mike was such an important
partofthe community. How could
someone so big and important not
be here any more? But there is no
danger of him being forgotten,"
said Kiley.
Dr. Wendy Furman, professor
of English, met Praetorius after
coming to
Whittier 14
years ago. "He
helped me to
feel at home,"
Furman said.
"Paula (Radisich) said a
long time ago
that Mike was a
pilgrim. A pilgrim isn'taper-
son who is here;
it is a person
who is moving
on. It is this idea
that makes his
passing tolerable," said Furman.
Dr. David
Hunt, professor
of philosophy, said, "Mike was
perhaps my best friend on campus. I am really devastated that
he's gone so suddenly."
Robert Schambach, professor
of chemistry, knew Praetorius for
26 years. "Mike was a good colleague and a good friend who will
be deeply missed," Schambach
said.
"I used to marvel at his ability
to sit in the grass and simply deal
with students," said Schambach.
"He would ask a thoughtful question of the students and if there
was a minute of silence he would
just sit and wait for an answer."
"The values of Whittier College were very important to him.
He put a lot of thought into teaching, the philosophy of teaching
and how to offer students the best
education possible. It will be a
poor place without him," said
Hunt.
"Philosophy wasn't just an
abstract discipline for him, but
rather a way of life. A way that is
followed by too few philosophers," said Hunt.
Furman agreed, saying that
Praetorius "didn't just think ideas,
he felt them. He let great ideas
touch him. He really was a tremendous role model of allowing
ideas help you to run your life,"
said Furman.
Said senior Ben Hubble, who
received advising from Praetorius for his minor in philosophy,
"Dr. Praetorius was an outstanding example of what I always
imagined a Whittier professor to
Please see BELOVED pg 7
STUDENT
Seniors Petition to Change
Graduation Day in Future
COLLEGE IN
THE NEWS
by JEFF HEYNEN
QC Staff Writer
Seniors Karin Thompson and
Andrea Wright have begun circulating a petition to change the date
of graduation in future years from
the traditional Friday of Memorial Day weekend to the more convenient Saturday or Sunday ofthe
same weekend. -._.
The idea, according to Thompson, was formulated only last
week. Nevertheless, the two have
already amassed approximately
250 signatures of students representing all class levels, which puts
their original goal of 300 well
within reach.
Their rationale behind the petition lies in the convenience for
the parents and guests of the graduating seniors. Thompson pointed out, "there are many first-generation graduates here whose parents simply cannot take the necessary time off work."
Wright said, "it is really inconvenient. My mom has to take
off work and some close family
friends can't even make it. If it
were on a Saturday or Sunday
afternoon, it wouldn't be a problem."
Dean of Faculty Lisa Ross-
bacherchairs the Commencement
Committee, which consists of faculty, administration, and four students who are appointed by the
Council of Representatives. The
committee makes recommendations to the president about how
and when the ceremonies should
take place.
Rossbacher stated "I know that
faculty are interested in seeing
that graduation is convenient for
students and their families," yet
she was also quick to point out
that "the president must juggle a
number of concerns," referring to
the interests of the board of trustees, along with local merchants
and hotels owners. Thus, a perfect
time for the ceremonies seems
almost impossible to achieve.
Rossbacher also remarked that
this issue is not new and that, "in
November of 1994, the [Commencement] Committee discussed
this same recommendation ofhav-
Please see PETITION pg. 6
College Selected as
Site for Earthquake
Research Technology
bv JENNIFER SANCHEZ-
SALAZAR
OC News Editor
Whittier College has been
selected as one of the 20 new
sites for the Global Positioning
System (GPS) which provides
earthquake data for researchers world wide.
Within the next two months,
a satellite unit will be placed on
the roof of Arnold Hall, the
music building, which will become part of the network of
institutions providing data for
earthquake research.
In the wake of the
Northridge earthquake off 994,
NASA, the U.S. Geological
Survey and the National Science Foundation jointly committed funds to install new contiguous GPS stations. Jet Pro
pulsion Laboratory (JPL) of
Pasadena has been awarded a
grant to add twenty additional
receivers to the metropolitan
Los Angeles area.
The extremely precise satellite technology, first developed by the department of Defense for navigational purposes, allows scientists to measure
the motions of the surface of
the earth which are continuous
due to the movement of tecton-
icplates. Thethree-dimensional
measurements have a relative
accuracy of one millimeter horizontally and three millimeters
vertically. This research enables the further study of earth-
retrofit strategies and evalua-, ^
tions of earthquake hazards.
Dal las Rhodes, professor of
Please see QUAKE pg. 6
ISSUE 25 • VOLUME 81

WHITTIER
COLLEGE
^^"^^ ^-^ May 4,1995
Quaker Campus
The Voice Of The Campus Since 1914
► SPORTS
The men's lacrosse
team lost in the WCLL
semifinals to UC Santa
Barbara, but managed to
beat Chapman in the consolation game and finish
third in the league.
pg20
C A M.P
»
*■ A Building by
Any Other Name...
Did you ever wonder
why the libraby is named
after a lip gloss? Or is
it?... Find out about the
names behind the buildings you learn in, sleep in,
and walk past every day.
eg 8
► Have an Extra
$15?
We've sampled three
hip albums so you don't
have to gamble with your
savings. Find out if we hit
the jackpot, pg 12
> Miss Your
Science Building
Parking Space?
Duo to wo! e Sci
ence Building's air conditioning system, part ofthe
Science Building parking
lot has been -.sible
since last week. As of press
time, the work was expected to be completed today,
barring complications.
► In last week's "News You
Can Use"; box, the QC ims-
takenly reported that the crane
in the Science Bu i Id i ng parking lot was replacing an air
conditioning unit on top of
the building. The particular
■■■■■
was actually a disfunclional
cooling tower, the component
of the air conditioning system which keeps the chiller
working at an optimum temperature. The QC regrets any
inconvenience this error may
have caused.
Beloved Professor Remembered as Devoted
Community Member, True Philosopher
Dr. Michael Praetorius, professor of philosophy, lived the life he taught.
by JANINE LEIGH KRAMER
QC Editor-in-Chief
"Such was the end of our
friend, whom I may truly call the
wisest, and justest, and best of all
the men whom I have ever
known."
This passage, the last line of
Plato's Phaedo, was read by faculty chair, Michael McBride before the traditional moment of silence at the faculty meeting last
Tuesday in memory of Dr. Mchael
Praetorius, professor of philosophy.
Praetorius died Fri day evening
from complications from a severe
case of pneumonia. An autopsy is
being performed.
This was Praetorius' 25th year
teaching at Whittier College,
where he and his wife, art history
professor Paula Radisich, lived in
Johnson House as part ofthe Faculty Residence program.
"Nothing mattered to him
more than community. The idea
of people with shared values, living and working together. A community of ideas, minds and emotions," said Anne Kiley, professor
of English, who knew Praetorius
pholo courtesy of Office of Admission
Dr. Michael Praetorius
for 23 years through working on
committees and pairing classes
together.
"Mike was such an important
partofthe community. How could
someone so big and important not
be here any more? But there is no
danger of him being forgotten,"
said Kiley.
Dr. Wendy Furman, professor
of English, met Praetorius after
coming to
Whittier 14
years ago. "He
helped me to
feel at home,"
Furman said.
"Paula (Radisich) said a
long time ago
that Mike was a
pilgrim. A pilgrim isn'taper-
son who is here;
it is a person
who is moving
on. It is this idea
that makes his
passing tolerable," said Furman.
Dr. David
Hunt, professor
of philosophy, said, "Mike was
perhaps my best friend on campus. I am really devastated that
he's gone so suddenly."
Robert Schambach, professor
of chemistry, knew Praetorius for
26 years. "Mike was a good colleague and a good friend who will
be deeply missed," Schambach
said.
"I used to marvel at his ability
to sit in the grass and simply deal
with students," said Schambach.
"He would ask a thoughtful question of the students and if there
was a minute of silence he would
just sit and wait for an answer."
"The values of Whittier College were very important to him.
He put a lot of thought into teaching, the philosophy of teaching
and how to offer students the best
education possible. It will be a
poor place without him," said
Hunt.
"Philosophy wasn't just an
abstract discipline for him, but
rather a way of life. A way that is
followed by too few philosophers," said Hunt.
Furman agreed, saying that
Praetorius "didn't just think ideas,
he felt them. He let great ideas
touch him. He really was a tremendous role model of allowing
ideas help you to run your life,"
said Furman.
Said senior Ben Hubble, who
received advising from Praetorius for his minor in philosophy,
"Dr. Praetorius was an outstanding example of what I always
imagined a Whittier professor to
Please see BELOVED pg 7
STUDENT
Seniors Petition to Change
Graduation Day in Future
COLLEGE IN
THE NEWS
by JEFF HEYNEN
QC Staff Writer
Seniors Karin Thompson and
Andrea Wright have begun circulating a petition to change the date
of graduation in future years from
the traditional Friday of Memorial Day weekend to the more convenient Saturday or Sunday ofthe
same weekend. -._.
The idea, according to Thompson, was formulated only last
week. Nevertheless, the two have
already amassed approximately
250 signatures of students representing all class levels, which puts
their original goal of 300 well
within reach.
Their rationale behind the petition lies in the convenience for
the parents and guests of the graduating seniors. Thompson pointed out, "there are many first-generation graduates here whose parents simply cannot take the necessary time off work."
Wright said, "it is really inconvenient. My mom has to take
off work and some close family
friends can't even make it. If it
were on a Saturday or Sunday
afternoon, it wouldn't be a problem."
Dean of Faculty Lisa Ross-
bacherchairs the Commencement
Committee, which consists of faculty, administration, and four students who are appointed by the
Council of Representatives. The
committee makes recommendations to the president about how
and when the ceremonies should
take place.
Rossbacher stated "I know that
faculty are interested in seeing
that graduation is convenient for
students and their families," yet
she was also quick to point out
that "the president must juggle a
number of concerns," referring to
the interests of the board of trustees, along with local merchants
and hotels owners. Thus, a perfect
time for the ceremonies seems
almost impossible to achieve.
Rossbacher also remarked that
this issue is not new and that, "in
November of 1994, the [Commencement] Committee discussed
this same recommendation ofhav-
Please see PETITION pg. 6
College Selected as
Site for Earthquake
Research Technology
bv JENNIFER SANCHEZ-
SALAZAR
OC News Editor
Whittier College has been
selected as one of the 20 new
sites for the Global Positioning
System (GPS) which provides
earthquake data for researchers world wide.
Within the next two months,
a satellite unit will be placed on
the roof of Arnold Hall, the
music building, which will become part of the network of
institutions providing data for
earthquake research.
In the wake of the
Northridge earthquake off 994,
NASA, the U.S. Geological
Survey and the National Science Foundation jointly committed funds to install new contiguous GPS stations. Jet Pro
pulsion Laboratory (JPL) of
Pasadena has been awarded a
grant to add twenty additional
receivers to the metropolitan
Los Angeles area.
The extremely precise satellite technology, first developed by the department of Defense for navigational purposes, allows scientists to measure
the motions of the surface of
the earth which are continuous
due to the movement of tecton-
icplates. Thethree-dimensional
measurements have a relative
accuracy of one millimeter horizontally and three millimeters
vertically. This research enables the further study of earth-
retrofit strategies and evalua-, ^
tions of earthquake hazards.
Dal las Rhodes, professor of
Please see QUAKE pg. 6
ISSUE 25 • VOLUME 81